Throughout the month of March, Glaucoma Australia is asking Australians to join its fundraising initiative the 7 Sights Challenge to raise much-needed dollars for glaucoma research, early detection programs and critical patient support services.
The funds will go towards helping people like Eleanor Deacon (pictured, below), who was first diagnosed at 55 years old when she was a mum to two teenagers. Now 82, she has been living with the disease for 27 years.
The 7 Sights Challenge asks Australians to capture pictures while they’re out and about – whether they walk, paddle, run, swim or ride – on their own or as part of a team.
By snapping and sharing seven photos, everyday Australians will be shining a light on the importance of sight while encouraging family, friends, and colleagues to donate to this important cause.
Research into improving quality of life for people with glaucoma and support services are critical in enabling Eleanor to manage everyday life with the challenges her changing vision presents. With no known family history of glaucoma, Eleanor was shocked by the diagnosis.
“I was on holidays at Dunk Island with my two children and I had no sense that I had any problems with my eyes. It wasn’t until we started playing indoor tennis and I couldn’t see the ball, followed by an evening out at a restaurant when I couldn’t see the steps properly, then I realised there might be a problem.
“As soon as we got to Brisbane I went straight to an optometrist and was told there and then that I had glaucoma,” she recalls.
“When I finally got into see the specialist back home in Darwin, they couldn’t believe how much of my sight had been lost. I was booked in to have two surgeries on my eyes, which was terrifying as I was petrified of going blind.
“It has been an on-going learning curve trying to understand what’s going on with my eyes and managing the changes in my vision. I have a lot of problems with identifying things and clarity of vision.
“Over the years I have learned to adjust and live with the challenges of my vision but at the time of my first surgeries the adjustment was slow, both physically and emotionally. For me, the reality is I must undertake a visual field test every six months and I use eye drops to control pressure twice daily to best manage the sight I still have.”
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting 300,000 Australians, yet it is estimated that 50% of those living with glaucoma are undiagnosed and are at risk of losing their sight. While nine out of 10 Australians say that sight is their most valued sense, more than 8 million Australians are not having regular eye tests.
There is no cure for glaucoma and vision loss is irreversible, so early detection and treatment is key to saving sight.
Glaucoma Australia CEO, Richard Wylie says, “Stories like Eleanor’s are far too common in our modern world, and that’s why the 7 Sights Challenge is so important. Anyone can develop glaucoma and the risk increases with age: about one in 200 Australians will have glaucoma by the age of 40.”
“Early detection is key, and Australians have the power to save their sight and avoid the challenges that come with impaired vision simply by getting their eyes tested. Australians need to know that loss of vision is irreversible and life-changing.
“The 7 Sights Challenge can help people like Eleanor feel supported around the initial diagnosis, helping them to cope and manage the ongoing treatment regimen and any challenges that present as their condition changes. So please register today and take part in helping us help people who are living with glaucoma,” adds Richard.
Australian music legend Kirk Pengilly is an ambassador for Glaucoma Australia and the 7 Sights Challenge, having nearly lost his sight to acute angle glaucoma.
“It was a total shock when I was diagnosed with glaucoma. It really hit home to me how important it is to look after your sight,” says Kirk, who was touring with INXS in the late 1980s when he experienced what felt like daggers being pressed into his eyes.
“Without the pioneering surgery I had at the time I may not have lived the life and career that I’ve been so lucky to have enjoyed. This surgery – albeit a more sophisticated version – is now one of the mainstays of glaucoma treatment today, and it was thanks to research that this breakthrough was made. That’s why supporting the work of our Australian researchers and patients in the fight against this sight-stealing disease is so important.”
TV hot David Koch is also throwing his support behind the 7 Sights Challenge because, like Eleanor and Kirk, he was shocked when he was diagnosed with glaucoma three years ago.
“My diagnosis of glaucoma came completely out of the blue and was a real wake-up call about the importance of eye checks,” he says.
“We need Australians to stay on top of their eye health, get regular checks to avoid irreversible damage to their sight, and get behind the 7 Sights Challenge to help those, like Eleanor, whose glaucoma diagnosis has directly impacted their lives now and into the future.”
To register or sponsor a participant to raise much-needed funds, visit the 7 Sights Challenge at: www.sevensights.org.au.
